5 Daily Fantasy Baseball Value Plays for Tuesday 6/1/21

With production being highly variable on a night-to-night basis, daily fantasy baseball plays a bit differently than other sports.

An 0-for-4 dud from a chalky high-salaried slugger is a lot more common than a total dud from a top-salaried NBA player or even than a stinker from a top quarterback or running back.

That means that it's not uncommon for value plays to end up doing the heavy lifting in carrying your lineup. The fact that they can be the difference between a good and a great lineup isn't much different than other sports, but value plays being able to make up for a whiff on a high-salaried play completely is somewhat unique.

Let's get right into it and take a look at the top value options on today's 14-game main slate, which locks at 7:05 PM Eastern.

Michael Pineda, SP, Minnesota Twins ($7,500)

Despite the fact that we have a loaded 14-game slate, there are only two pitchers with a five-figure salary -- Tyler Glasnow ($10,700) and Aaron Nola ($10,100). In other words, you can probably build a well-rounded lineup tonight while rostering one of the slate's top pitchers. Nevertheless, if you are looking for extreme savings at pitcher, Michael Pineda might just be your best bet.

Tonight, Pineda and the Minnesota Twins will be going up against the Baltimore Orioles. On the season, Baltimore's 78 wRC+ against righties ranks third-worst in the league, and their 25.5% strikeout rate is ninth-highest, according to FanGraphs.

This will be Pineda's second consecutive start versus the O's. A week ago, the 32-year-old pitched six innings of one-run ball while whiffing eight batters and totaling 49 FanDuel points against this squad.

While the veteran's 2.62 ERA looks unsustainable, his 3.64 SIERA and 26.7% strikeout rate are both very respectable. He should be able to take advantage of this matchup once again.

Kyle Garlick, OF, Minnesota Twins ($2,300)

Speaking of the Twins, they're in a great spot tonight against lefty Bruce Zimmermann. In fact, according to numberFire's Matchup Heat Map, Minnesota's 4.94 implied total is the second-highest on tonight's 14-gamer.

This season, Zimmerman carries a 5.15 ERA, which is backed up by a 4.44 SIERA and a 5.48 FIP. The 26-year-old has a measly 18.6% strikeout rate, and he has generously allowed 2.21 homers per nine innings to right-handed batters so far in his young career.

Enter Kyle Garlick. Five of the six dongs in Garlick's Major League career have come against southpaws, as he sports a .286 ISO in 90 plate appearances with the platoon advantage. The 29-year-old has been a staple in the top of Minnesota lineup against lefties, and that makes him an excellent value play tonight.

C.J. Cron, 1B, Colorado Rockies ($2,500)

The friendly confines of Coors Field will be a welcome sight for every hitter on the Colorado Rockies, and C.J. Cron is undoubtedly no exception.

Cron's home-road splits this season would be hard to believe if we hadn't seen the same from so many other hitters in this part before him. On the road, the 31-year-old has a .693 OPS and .068 ISO, whereas those numbers are .949 and .262, respectively, at Coors. Four of Cron's five homers, 14 of his 22 runs, and 14 of his 18 RBI have come on his home turf.

Cron and the Rockies will be matched up against Dane Dunning and the Texas Rangers. While Dunning does possess a 3.10 xFIP and 3.57 SIERA on the season, there is plenty of reason for optimism here.

In 20.1 innings on the road this season, Dunning has ceded a .321 opponent batting average, .918 OPS, and three dingers. He has also been limited to a 19.6% strikeout rate away from home. And while that sample size is too small to put a ton of stock in, a date at Coors is unlikely to make those numbers look any better.

Cron is one of a number of Rockies I'll be adding to my lineups tonight.

Hunter Dozier, 3B/OF, Kansas City Royals ($2,100)

One of the best matchups of the night belongs to the Kansas City Royals, who will be facing struggling right-hander Wil Crowe.

Through 27 innings in 2021, Crowe has a 5.67 ERA, and his 4.96 SIERA and 5.81 xERA means he hasn't exactly been unlucky. For his young career, the 26-year-old is surrendering 2.55 homer per nine frames, a number which jumps to 3.05 against same-handed hitters. The 101 righties to go up against Crowe since he made it to the majors have managed a 1.002 OPS.

That's where Hunter Dozier comes in. The 29-year-old is hitting just .147 this season, though he has garnered 10 extra-base hits (including 4 home runs), 10 runs scored, and 9 RBI over his last 58 at-bats.

Gavin Lux, 2B/SS, Los Angeles Dodgers ($2,500)

St. Louis Cardinals righty John Gant has a 1.81 ERA this season, but he is the textbook definition of ERA not painting the whole picture. Gant's 5.62 SIERA is worse than any starter slated to suit up tonight, and his xERA is a whopping 4.97. In other words, he's incredibly fortunate to have the numbers he has.

To expand a bit more on that, Gant is currently boasting a 17.4% strikeout rate to go with an ugly 15.4% walk rate. He's averaging just 1.13 strikeouts for every free pass. Yikes.

Eventually, Gant's luck will run out, and that "eventually" might just be tonight versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. This season, the Dodgers 119 wRC+ against righties is the best mark in the league.

One hitter who can potentially take advantage of this matchup is Gavin Lux. All five of Lux's taters this season have come against righties, as have 23 of his 25 RBI and 16 of his 20 runs scored.